From Too Many Chefs - www.toomanychefs.com

April 29, 2004

Have You Booked?

Today! Today is the Annual Dine Out For Life in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, East Bay Area, Hampton Roads, Honolulu, Hudson Valley, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tacoma. I thought briefly about jetting to Honolulu for a light snack, but ended up making reservations at Chicago's own Angelina Ristorante at 3561 N Broadway.

I lived a block from this place for a year a loooooong time ago and never went. I'll let you know how the food was and just how much the 30% of the bill going to charities in the area turned out to be.

UPDATE: Angelina's was great. Two big takeaways from the night - Polenta! We had it fried ina loaf like consistency with a creamy mushroom sauce on top and herbs baked in, and as a mush with the consistency of mashed potatoes and the taste of a savory egg custard. Who knew such a humble dish could be so tasty? Second lesson - Bread pudding. Dark chocolate/white chocolate bread pudding, with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream to be exact. Wow. Try out Angelina's.

With a bottle of wine, a single appetizer, two entrees (garlic shrimp and skate wing), two desserts, a glass of milk, and a coffee and tip, the total was $120. Dining for Life gets $40 of that. We also picked up envelopes to send an additional donation in and have a chance to win a day as assistant chef at Charlie Trotter's, $500 gift certificate from Marshall Field's or something else worth $500 which I'd remember if my wife had had more of the wine.